Is a Catholic required to do anything beyond keeping the comandments and the precepts of the Church in order to be Saved?

[nsper7]

In order to be Saved (defined here as getting into Heaven with a possible detour through Purgatory), is a Catholic required to do anything more than keeping the commandments and the precepts of the Church with perhaps frequent Confession tacked on since we mess up a lot?

In examining the Catholic Encyclopedia article on the Evangelical Counsels, or Counsels of Perfection, it seems that, as a Catholic, all that is required to be Saved in the end is to keep the commandments and to obey the precepts of the Church.

This goes back to two of my other threads (Are Catholics Required to Discern God’s Will for their Lives? and Christianity and Fear), and I think that because my faith is based on fear, I feel like, “Well, I’m not stupid or crazy, I want to avoid Hell and will do what is necessary to avoid it, but why should I want to worry about doing anything more in the direction of faith issues?”

In other words, why shouldn’t I, or anyone else, take the stance of: do whatever you want as long as you’re not sinning. Explain to me why, on matters of faith, I should want to do anything beyond the minimum necessary to avoid Hell since I truly feel like my faith has been based on a gun of “eternal damnation” caliber–you can say I have misconstrued the faith or whatever, but this is how it feels to me.

I have yet to experience God’s love, only that penetrating fear of Hell that haunts me in my Scrupulous mind. That fear angers me because it is a fear I cannot escape. Scripture says fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and that is true: I mean, wouldn’t wisdom say that if a person has a gun to your head, you should do what they say, why care about their desires of perfection or their particular will or any of that, just do what is necessary so they don’t splatter your brains on the carpet.

God has that gun to your head throughout your entire life, you cannot escape the Infinite God, nor can you overpower (as you might a human assailant) the Omnipotent God, so therefore you have to live with it once you come to believe–trust me, I believe, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t care.

 

[FiberZilla]

In order to be Saved (defined here as getting into Heaven with a possible detour through Purgatory), is a Catholic required to do anything more than keeping the commandments and the precepts of the Church with perhaps frequent Confession tacked on since we mess up a lot?

In examining the Catholic Encyclopedia article on the Evangelical Counsels, or Counsels of Perfection, it seems that, as a Catholic, all that is required to be Saved in the end is to keep the commandments and to obey the precepts of the Church.

This goes back to two of my other threads (Are Catholics Required to Discern God’s Will for their Lives? and Christianity and Fear), and I think that because my faith is based on fear, I feel like, “Well, I’m not stupid or crazy, I want to avoid Hell and will do what is necessary to avoid it, but why should I want to worry about doing anything more in the direction of faith issues?”

In other words, why shouldn’t I, or anyone else, take the stance of: do whatever you want as long as you’re not sinning. Explain to me why, on matters of faith, I should want to do anything beyond the minimum necessary to avoid Hell since I truly feel like my faith has been based on a gun of “eternal damnation” caliber–you can say I have misconstrued the faith or whatever, but this is how it feels to me.

I have yet to experience God’s love, only that penetrating fear of Hell that haunts me in my Scrupulous mind. That fear angers me because it is a fear I cannot escape. Scripture says fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and that is true: I mean, wouldn’t wisdom say that if a person has a gun to your head, you should do what they say, why care about their desires of perfection or their particular will or any of that, just do what is necessary so they don’t splatter your brains on the carpet.

God has that gun to your head throughout your entire life, you cannot escape the Infinite God, nor can you overpower (as you might a human assailant) the Omnipotent God, so therefore you have to live with it once you come to believe–trust me, I believe, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t care.

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Salvation is entirely a free gift from God through the attoning death of Jesus Christ who dies in our place on the cross. Our works and good deeds are what we do because we love God. He made us to do good things for others. If you have true saving faith you will naturally want to do good works and be obedient to the best of your ability. Works are the evidence of our salvation, not the cause. One who lives in habitual disobedience with no regard for God’s law and does nothing to help his fellow man probably does not have saving faith.

*“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:8-10

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16*

 

[Shin]

To experience God’s love, start more greatly to love, and have confidence in the goodness of God.

Try to fear God for the sake of harming someone you love rather than fear solely of punishment. God does not desire you to serve Him out of fear truly, it is only a beginning, and I think your kind of fear is the fear only someone who loves sin should have.

If God desired everyone to serve Him out of fear He would manifest Himself more prominently in the world than He does – He is quite free to do so, but He steps back, so that men may choose Him also out of love of His ways.

The initial grace of salvation is a free gift, but to maintain it we have to cooperate with the next graces as well, and work.

You seem not to want to do anything, fear of the kind you have appears even demotivating and not good. In other words… to be disposed of as not useful.

You need to either reject bad emotions or retrain them through new thoughts and habits.

My suggestion to you is to do all you can to meditate upon the goodness of God, especially the goodness and mercy He has shown you, every day of your life, despite all your abject poverty.

Appreciate the punishments of God not as something an enemy would look upon fearfully, but as a person who loves God would look upon as light compared to the injustice of lack of love towards so loving and good a God.

He truly is so infinitely good.

Have confidence in that goodness’s desire to help you.

‘. . . in tranquility of spirit rest lovingly in the wounded side of Jesus, and do not be anxious about your soul, but preserve interior calm by kissing that loving Wound and pressing to your heart so dear a Good.’

St. Gaspar del Bufalo

‘We are not drawn to God by iron chains, but by sweet attractions and holy inspirations.’

St. Francis de Sales

 

[Orchanian]

I assume that you want to go beyond a fear of God and expand the relationship you have with Him. If that is the case, you might want to find out how others have done that. Maybe then you can begin to come into a more joyful relationship with God.

Consider reading the book, Hinds Feet on High Places. It’s a beautiful allegory that shows a wide range of emotions one might have toward our Good Shepherd.

Last thing - you asked if all we had to do was follow the commandments, as if that’s an easy thing to do. Because of Adam’s sin, that’s not so easy. Remember how Jesus redefined the commandments. It’s not just, thou shalt not kill, but thou shalt not be angry at a brother. We are to obey the spirit of the law, not just the letter of the law. And we can only do that by the grace of God.

When we sin, God isn’t up there in heaven preparing to punish us. He is more likely weeping at our sins. Think about God as the Perfect Father. How does a father feel when his son or daughter makes a bad decision? He mourns, he feels that child’s pain. So, too, does our father in heaven. Perhaps you haven’t had the experience of a loving father here on earth. It may be making it more difficult for you to see God in that way. Pray for God to change your faith from fear to love.

 

[Steave]

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Salvation is entirely a free gift from God through the attoning death of Jesus Christ who dies in our place on the cross. Our works and good deeds are what we do because we love God. He made us to do good things for others. If you have true saving faith you will naturally want to do good works and be obedient to the best of your ability. Works are the evidence of our salvation, not the cause. One who lives in habitual disobedience with no regard for God’s law and does nothing to help his fellow man probably does not have saving faith.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:8-10

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Salvation is a Gift from God, but it is not a cheap gift, as you dont buy a car for a sixteen year old whose into drugs drinking alchol and having sex, God is also not going to save those who do not follow the will of the Father.

I will not save all of those who say lord lord, but will save those who do the will of my father

Faith without works is dead

And I will say to the sheep come and live in my kingdom,~ because the did the corrpral works of mercy.

If a Tree does not bear fruit it will be thrown into the furnace

And the list goes on and on and on, Christ’s beautiful sacrafice on the cross for us opened up the possibillity of being chosen, but following the commandments and the will of the father is completly an integral part of “Beliving in him” belief must come from the heart and the mouth.

Read the bible God will speak to you

-Pax

 

[FiberZilla]

Salvation is a Gift from God, but it is not a cheap gift, as you dont buy a car for a sixteen year old whose into drugs drinking alchol and having sex, God is also not going to save those who do not follow the will of the Father.

I will not save all of those who say lord lord, but will save those who do the will of my father

Faith without works is dead

And I will say to the sheep come and live in my kingdom,~ because the did the corrpral works of mercy.

If a Tree does not bear fruit it will be thrown into the furnace

And the list goes on and on and on, Christ’s beautiful sacrafice on the cross for us opened up the possibillity of being chosen, but following the commandments and the will of the father is completly an integral part of “Beliving in him” belief must come from the heart and the mouth.

Read the bible God will speak to you

-Pax

I pretty much agree with you but I must add that salvation comes strictly through faith and is demonstrated or proven through sanctification and good works just like James says in his epistle. However, our good works are not counted as a form of currency to earn our salvation. Hence Paul’s teaches in Romans 4.

"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. Romans 4:1-5

 

[chain]

The greatest commandment is to Love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Out of love we can die to ourselves so that Jesus may live in us. Obedience is the result of those, not the end goal.

That said salvation itself is a gift and must be accepted - but can not be earned.